Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 15:11:50 GMT
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<title>CSE567 - Working in Groups</title>

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<h1>CSE 567: Principles of Digital Systems Design </h1>
<h3>Carl Ebeling, Fall 1996 </h2>
<h2>Working in Groups</h2>

<hr>
Most of you have had some experience working in groups, and you may or
may not like it.  There are obvious reasons for working on homework
and the project as as a group, but it does take work to make things go
smoothly.  If you put some effort into make the group work, I believe
that you will find doing your work this way much more fun, interesting
and ultimately rewarding.  Whether you are on the giving or receiving
end of an explanation from a friend, you will be learning more than if
you were working alone.

<P> In your first group meeting you should spend some time talking
about how you are going to work.  <b>You should start by assigning a
group coordinator.</b> This position can rotate among the group
members if you like, but there needs to be one person who takes the
lead scheduling meetings and deciding on how the group should proceed.
This person is not the boss, but tries to form group consensus and
makes sure that what needs to get done gets done.

At least once every week you should set goals and expectations for the
group for the next week and discuss how each person will contribute.
You should also take time to review how the group is working and
decide on changes.  Groups that don't work well together usually don't
because there are conflicting expectations within the group.  You need
to talk these out.  By the way, although email can be very useful for
communicating, it cannot replace group meetings.  You must meet at
least once a week, and probably more.

<P> When the group hands in a homework or project assignment, put the
names of everyone who contributed to that assignment along with the
amount contributed by each member.  Normally credit would be spread
out evenly.  But if the group feels that one or two people have done
more than their share, then they should indicate this.  I will not pay
great attention to this unless the amounts are way out of balance.  I
may use this in the end to nudge certain grades up a notch.

<P> I know that many students resist the idea of working in groups.  Here
are some arguments often raised and my answer to them:
<UL>
<LI>Why should I do the work and someone else get the credit?

<P> Learning is not a competitive sport.  Grades are not curved in this
course.  Helping someone else to do better will not lower your grade.
On the contrary, you will find that you will really understand
whatever you teach to someone else.  Studies (and there are lots of
them) show that students in classes with collaborative learning score
much higher on the same tests as students in traditional classes.
<P>
<LI> I don't like the people in my group.  Why should I have to get along
with them to get a grade.

<P> Almost any job you take, outside of forest ranger, will require you to
work with others whether you like them or not.  Knowing how to work
with others is a very important skill.
<P>
<LI> Working in groups takes too much time.

<P>It will take time at first to adjust to the group dynamics.  You
should spend some time at first deciding how you are going to work
together and what role each person is going to have.  Take the
attitude that you have a job to get done and ask what needs to happen
to get it done.

<P>
<LI>I don't want to have to rely on someone else to do their part.

<P>If a team member consistently lets down the rest of the group, then
their name should not appear on the assignment.  If there are problems
getting a group going, please come talk to me about it.  There is even
the possibility of firing a group member.
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<address>
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cebeling@cs.washington.edu
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